


Campfire Conversations

by colestitutionalized



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda (Video Game 1986), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 23:03:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11565183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colestitutionalized/pseuds/colestitutionalized
Summary: Zelda sets out to the Spring of Power with Link in tow.  Her anxiety is rising to a boiling point and she realizes she missed a crucial detail in her preparations.





	Campfire Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> I don't normally write (read: haven't ever written) fanfiction, but I really enjoyed the dynamics of Link and Zelda's relationship while being frustrated at how little is ever shown. So I wrote this. I don't know that I'll write more but it was a lot of fun, so maybe I'll try to write more chapters. Or I'll forget about it and this is where it will end.

Growing bored of looking through her image catalogues on the Sheikah Slate, Zelda set it aside to see how far the sun had lowered in the sky only to be disappointed that it was just beginning to set.It had barely been an hour since Link had disappeared wordlessly into the forest after she remarked that she had forgotten to prepare meals for their journey, an oversight that once again forces a cringe across her face as she remembers.Taking a deep breath, she tries to calm herself but whenever she finds herself alone her mind can’t help but dwell on the tasks at hand, especially those that cause her great stress. 

It’s no wonder she forgot something so essential, she thought, as the two were on their way to the Spring of Power in Akkala to once again attempt to awaken her latent power.Resolute as she was, she still couldn’t help but feel like it was a pointless endeavor and that her talents for research and administration were being squandered.Loathe as she was to admit it, she wished link would come back soon.She was beginning to grow accustomed to his stalwart presence.Plus she was really starting to get hungry. 

Laying in front of the fire she prepared earlier, she reminds herself that she must try not to be so curt with Link when he returns.She had only recently learned that he was so often silent around her because he could sense her unease around him and didn’t want to upset her further.This lack of communication between them seemed ridiculous in hindsight since she found his silence so off-putting, but it was even more ridiculous to her that she was annoyed the confusion occurred in the first place.Still, she was determined to at least try to get to know him and at least she recognized now that it wasn’t Link that bothered her, but what he represented to her.Anxious, gloomy, and hungry, she idly pulled at the grass beside her wishing for an escape from her own thoughts.

To her relief, which she desperately tries to prevent from showing on her face, Link appears from the forest hefting an impressive array of ingredients and wearing what Zelda could only describe as an obnoxiously pleased smirk.Once he sets his quarry down to collect something from his bag, she gets a chance to check what he collected and finds to her surprise that Link is not planning on simply roasting meat over a fire.

“Where did you manage to get butter?” Zelda asks as Link sits down in front of the fire with a pan and some bowls and spoons.Link doesn’t answer, but catches her eye and grins back at her.Normally his silence would bother her, but this is more emotion than he typically displays in her presence and this is enough to at least partially quell her worry that he doesn’t know what he’s doing.Why are you even worried, she asks herself, this is Link.Even if he were to make anything dubious, he would remain unwavering in his attempt to get it right.In an effort to be honest with herself, Zelda admits that she admires his resilience in the face of any trial.

She watched him from the other side of the campfire working with a peaceful intensity and care that seemed to mirror his ferocity in battle.Step by step he prepared everything he brought from start to finish, skinning a rabbit and slicing the meat to be pan-seared while he crushed some dried herb she couldn’t identify and set aside a bag of rice that he must have bought somewhere.Or did he thresh it himself?She wondered if that’s what had taken him as long as it did, though it still seemed to be much quicker than it should have been.Tired of listening to the crackle of the fire and sitting in silence, Zelda decided to take a chance at conversation.

“Link, would you like me to assist you in anyway?” she asks tentatively, anxious to break the silence that had consumed them and hoping against hope that he wouldn’t simply shake his head in refusal and remain transfixed on his task.He looked up at her, the spell of his concentration broken for a moment.To her surprise he smiled warmly at her and spoke.

“Actually, all the prep work is done,” he said placing a lid on the pan. “All it needs is some time on the fire.”

This was the longest sentence he had uttered to her in days at least.His wordy response throwing her for a loop, it took her a moment to grasp at the opportunity to probe him for further conversation.

“When did you learn how to cook?” she said, finding her bearings at last.“You seem very… practiced.And at ease.”He shifted the pan on the fire thinking for a moment.

“Well, military rations are not exactly palatable.Or filling.”

As their dinner simmered over the fire, Link told her how he would sneak out of the garrisons after dark to sate an appetite that night after night would be left ravenous.She sat bewildered at his sudden willingness to be open with her, so preoccupied with intently listening to his stories that she didn’t have time to obsess over what had changed.

“Whenever I went to other towns, I’d try to pick up a recipe and give it a shot.So I actually ended up getting a lot of practice.Except from Gorons, but they have some pretty great spices.No idea where they find them.Not sure anything grows on volcanos.”Lost in his memories he was totally relaxed, leaning on one arm and gazing off into the distance as he spoke.But when he finished his last thought, his piercing blue eyes met her gaze.“What’s your favorite food?”

“Oh.”Zelda was taken aback by his question, though at this point she really shouldn’t be, she thought to herself.That’s what people do when engaging in friendly conversation, or at least that’s what she assumed people did.She privately counted very few people among her actual friends as most people treated her with a stiff tone reserved for royalty.“To be honest, I never paid too much attention to what I would eat.I’ve never had to cook for myself.”

“Ah,” he said and paused for a painful moment, Zelda certain that she had just killed what was turning into an insightful conversation.“Yeah, you’ve probably got a lot on your mind too.You might want to try it, though.It can be comforting to have any kind of control, even just over what you eat.It should be done now.”Zelda only had a moment to consider his advice before he took the lid off of the pan and let its steam and aroma billow out.He was already spooning the cooked rice and meat into the two bowls when she caught a whiff of the meal and gasped.

“That smells delicious! What is that?” she exclaimed.Link beamed at her and handed her a bowl.

“Paella.Careful it’s still hot.”She gingerly lifted a small spoonful to her mouth and blew on it for a moment before taking a bite.Chewing the bite, she closed her eyes.They sat in silence and ate their fill, which for Link was at least three times what Zelda was able.Setting her bowl down she looked up at her champion and knight.

“I’m sorry, Link.For giving you such a hard time.You are a much more nuanced and kind person than I gave you credit for.”Link’s gaze was thoughtful but gentle as it met hers.

“That’s okay, you had your reasons.Let’s get some rest.”The two of them washed the bowls in a nearby river, put out the fire, and retired to their respective tents.Zelda slept restfully that night and woke up more refreshed than she had felt in a long time.


End file.
